At the railway station

Sitting in the station waiting for a train I see so many wildflowers determinedly pushing their way up through all the concrete, gravel and metal surrounding them. A couple I didn’t recognise, but also colt’s foot, herb robert and red campion. While in neat little half barrels along the platform grew grape hyacinths, ivy and shrubs overflowing the rims.

Beyond the tracks are abandoned factories already beginning to blend in with the surroundings. The paint peels, stone crumbles and the ivy and new tree shoots spread all over as nature claims back her land.

Nature continues its progress relentlessly doesn’t it? No matter how much we attempt to exert control it’ll win out in the end. If we could only work with it more often, as opposed to against it… I am still trying to work that one out with the dandelions that populate our lawn and the slugs that devour our vegetables!

As the train pulled out of the station, I saw a fox pacing up and down the track. I’ve never in my life seen a fox (alive) in the wild before, despite living in the country for the past 20 years. Out in the open, he was, in broad daylight, on a busy mainline railway track. He seemed to want to cross over to the other side, but was confused by the noise of the engine or the length of the train perhaps. I hope he found his way home safely.